Muamba upright, smiling in first photo since collapse

Muamba upright, smiling in first photo since collapse

Not even two weeks ago, Fabrice Muamba was in a fight for his life, nearly dying after collapsing on the field during an FA Cup match between Bolton and Tottenham.

The 23-year-old Bolton midfielder continues his recovery from the sudden cardiac arrest in a London hospital, and after a number of reports and accounts of his progress, the first photo of him since the frightening episode is making the rounds.

Muamba's wife sent out the above photo of Muamba sitting upright and smiling from his hospital bed on his Twitter account Friday morning with the message that "Fab wanted me to post this pic for you all and to also say thank you for such overwhelming support."

Muamba, whose heart had stopped for 78 minutes and needed 15 shocks to restart, still has a long road ahead of him, but the photograph is as encouraging and tangible a sign of his recovery as we have seen.